Partnership Development Specialist

As a leading healthcare education organization, Unitek Learning’s family of schools helps thousands of students launch and accelerate their careers every year. As a rapidly growing and highly successful company, Unitek is also a great place to pursue a rewarding and challenging career. We offer a competitive salary, generous benefits, unlimited growth potential, and a collegiate work environment.

Purpose of the Position:

The Clinical Partnership Development Specialist plays a mission-critical role in securing and maintaining clinical partnerships essential for the successful operation and expansion of Unitek’s nursing programs. This position is responsible for obtaining the required BVNPT and BRN clinical forms and affiliation agreements necessary to submit Board of Nursing applications for both Vocational Nursing (VN) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs. The role requires establishing relationships in person at each clinical site, conducting initial walkthroughs to confirm the site meets clinical learning objectives, and coordinating mandatory site verifications with the Dean or Program Director.

Following the BSN Feasibility Study submission, this position is responsible for gathering EDP forms as part of the BRN self-study phase. Once programs are approved and launched, the Specialist will continue developing new clinical sites, addressing site-related issues, and maintaining strong partner relations. Over time, the role may transition into supporting growth initiatives or a position within Career Services, depending on program maturity and organizational priorities.

Job responsibilities:

Key Responsibilities:

• Regulatory & Application Support
• Secure all clinical documentation and affiliation agreements required by the BVNPT and BRN for submission of VN and BSN board applications.
• Conduct in-person site visits to establish partnerships, perform walkthroughs to ensure alignment with learning objectives, and confirm readiness for mandatory verifications by nursing leadership.
• Coordinate site verification visits with the Dean or Program Director.
• For BSN programs, manage the collection of EDP forms following submission of the Feasibility Study, supporting the self-study application phase.

Clinical Partnership Development:

• Research and target healthcare organizations that offer high-quality patient care and clinical education opportunities for nursing students.
• Evaluate and coordinate clinical experience placements that support program outcomes and potential rotation-to-hire opportunities.
• Secure and expand fully executed agreements to meet evolving campus needs and organizational growth targets. 

• Relationship Management & Field Engagement:

• Initiate outreach via cold-calling, onsite visits, and consistent follow-up communication with key site contacts.
• Present partnership proposals to C-suite and Director-level stakeholders within healthcare systems.
• Spend over 50% of time working in the field, developing new clinical sites and maintaining existing partner relationships from the assigned campus.

• Placement Operations & Compliance:

• Ensure that clinical partners support multi-disciplinary training aligned with academic, regulatory, and accreditation standards.
• Oversee clinical contractual compliance, onboarding logistics, and documentation management.
• Conduct periodic audits of agreements and documentation for internal and external compliance.

• Strategic Planning & Reporting:

• Develop and manage long- and short-term goals for clinical expansion and site performance.
• Report weekly strategic initiatives and placement outcomes to the Director.
• Track all site data and agreement status using CRM tools (e.g., HubSpot) for internal and regulatory reporting.

• Academic & Employer Engagement:

• Support employer engagement efforts through advisory boards, hosted events, and marketing campaigns.
• Contribute to business development initiatives and elevate Unitek’s presence at conferences and industry events.

• Role Evolution:

• After the initial program establishment, transition responsibilities toward maintenance of clinical sites and resolution of site-related challenges.
• Explore opportunities for growth-oriented project work or reassignment to the Career Services team based on organizational needs and individual performance.

• Other Duties:

• Participate in weekly departmental meetings and strategic task forces.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to enhance the student and partner experience.
• Support additional departmental or campus projects as assigned.

Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Comfortable with Microsoft Office especially use of databases and spreadsheets.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to travel within the geographical area to visit current and potential Healthcare clinical Facilities.
• Minimum of 2 years of Sales, Recruiting, Client Relations, or Clinical Development experience preferred.
• Knowledge and competency within healthcare environment preferred.
• Requires an energetic and positive individual with the ability to manage key clients and build strong partnership relations within the Health Care Environment.
• Requires an individual able to work independently with excellent organizational, negotiations, communication and relationship skills.
• Requires a safe driving history, dependable transportation with current auto insurance. Individuals will be in the field approximately 50% of working hours.

Position Status: Full time position with responsibilities of approximately 40 hours per week at the institution. This position will be classified as an "At-Will"

Physical Factors:  

• Standing/Walking: "Must be able to stand or walk for extended periods". 
• Sitting: "Must be able to remain in a seated position for extended periods". 
• Lifting/Carrying: "Must be able to lift and carry up to [weight] pounds". 
• Pushing/Pulling: "Must be able to push or pull objects". 
• Reaching: "Must be able to reach overhead or at or below shoulder level

Pay Range: 60k - 70k

We Offer:

• Medical, Dental and Vision starting the 1st of the month following 30 days of employment
• 2 Weeks’ starting Vacation per year.  Increasing based on years of service with company
• 12 paid Holidays and 2 Floating Holiday
• 401K with a Company Match
• Company Paid Life Insurance at 1x’s your annual salary
• Leadership development and training for career advancement
• Tuition assistance and Forgiveness for you and your family up to 100% depending on program